


Common Language

by honestgrins



Series: Bingo! [2]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: 10th century ghost in the 21st century, F/M, klaroween, klaroween bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 10:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16173422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: When Caroline is tortured by her father, she takes unlikely comfort in a hidden cave - the cave where Klaus finally manages to bring Henrik's ghost back to the living. (For Klaroween Bingo: 10th Century Ghost in the 21st Century)





	Common Language

Her mom lasted a whole six hours before she was called back to work, leaving a tear-streaked Caroline home alone. A few blood bags and a cold, cold shower had helped her to heal and clean herself from the dirty cell; it was the memories haunting her that prevented her from sleeping away the immediate brunt of the trauma she’d suffered at the hands of her father.

Even when she closed her eyes, sunlight burned around the edges of her vision and crackled along her skin. She clenched her hands every so often to make sure her ring sat where it belonged. And to think the Sheriff pointing a gun loaded with wooden bullets would be the worst thing a parent could do - how naive she had been. Caroline sniffled into her pillow, hating her broken heart for wishing she could be better for him.

Sitting up, she wiped her face with the edge of her palm. Her dad didn’t want her? Her mom chose work over her? Fine, it wasn’t anything she hadn’t handled before. So she threw on an old hoodie over her pajamas and slipped into a pair of tennis shoes, heading out to a place she hadn’t visited in a long while.

Caroline was ten when her parents told her they were getting divorced, that Bill was moving away to be with someone he loved - away from her. It happened over the summer when Bonnie was away at camp and Elena on vacation with her family. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so alone, aside from the terrifying day she had to survive her transition without _knowing_ anything. Unable to stay at the house while her dad packed and unwilling to sit at the station with her mom, she went for a walk in the woods instead and disappeared for a whole day, not that anyone was around to notice.

Following that same path years later, she realized just how quiet the area was. Far from the town proper, even her enhanced vampire senses could barely pick up the midday noise of Mystic Falls. She squinted, looking for the patch of wildflowers that first drew her toward the cave. Bright reds and greens had caught her eye, but it was the small cave entrance that intrigued her. Though it required more wriggling to get through than it did for a ten-year-old, Caroline managed to shove her way into the darkness, grateful she carried a phone to serve as a flashlight.

God, she must have been a brave kid. To be fair, it was before she knew monsters were real and oddly focused on her little town.

As a monster herself, Caroline still braced herself for any threats that might come from the passageway within. Her fangs dropped, eyesight sharpening for anything that moved. Even being on edge felt better than wallowing in her misery. She was a predator, damn it; pretending not to be one for her dad so hadn’t worked for her anyway.

Creeping forward, she found the hollowed out chamber she was looking for. The air was surprisingly warm compared to the rest of the cave, which was partly the reason little Caroline had liked the spot so much. Comfort was in short supply, so she took it wherever she could that sad, lonely day. Much like then, she settled herself on the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. Sighing, she pressed her forehead the soft flannel covering her legs. “Maybe I’ll just stay here for a while,” she muttered, voice pathetic as it echoed off the stone walls.

“ _You can, you know._ ”

Caroline startled at the sudden appearance of a young boy sitting next to her, speaking some language she didn’t even recognize. “I-” As scared and confused as she felt, however, her fangs refused to drop. It was almost like her monster didn’t register the kid as food. “Who are you?”

“ _My name is Henrik. No one has ever seen me before. Why can you?”_

Pressing her hands to her face, Caroline shook her head as a helpless laugh escaped from her throat. “This isn’t happening. People don’t just pop up out of nowhere.” She looked at him again, disappointed that he didn’t vanish like a figment of her imagination. “Seriously, who are you?”

He looked at her oddly. “ _Henrik_ ,” he said, drawing out the word.

“Henrik.” Eyes wide, Caroline was very close to losing it. “You’re in a cave. Kids shouldn’t be in caves.”

Blinking, Henrik seemed concerned by her expression without understanding her words. As though to comfort her, he covered her hand with his. “ _You are troubled. Are there wolves tonight? My brother promised to show me, but that was long ago._ ”

Caroline swallowed another frantic burst of laughter. Before she could even begin to summon a plan to help the boy, though, leaves rustled from somewhere down the passageway. On instinct, she flashed to her feet with full vampire features and pushed Henrik behind her. “Who’s there?”

“I could ask you the same thing, love.” The British accent was a confusing surprise, as was the incredibly attractive face behind it when some guy strolled around the corner like he owned the place. His smirk cut cute dimples into his cheeks, but his face went suddenly slack as he caught sight of Henrik. “ _Brother._ ”

“Nik!” Henrik roughly pushed past Caroline to launch himself at the stranger, who swooped him up into his arms.

“ _You’re safe, Henrik_ ,” he muttered in the same language, as best as she could guess. “ _For ages, I’ve worked to bring you back. And now you’re here. You’re here!”_

_“But how?”_

_“Magic. It took a whole coven, but I raced here once I got the call. I should have known it’d be here.”_

Overwhelmed by the weirdness of the situation and her emotions on tenterhooks already, Caroline had no hope of restraining a freakout. “Excuse me?! What the hell is going on?!”

The guy snarled at the interruption, only looking mildly apologetic when Henrik flinched away from his tight hold. “ _I didn’t mean to scare you_ ,” he promised. Looking up at Caroline, he managed at least a polite nod. “Leave now, little vampire. This is a family matter.”

“I’m not leaving him alone with you,” Caroline snapped, wary of the double set of fangs that slid into place, his eyes turned burnt gold. At least it helped to calm her panic that he knew of her supernatural status. Still, she crossed her arms to keep her posture absolutely straight. “I was down here minding my own business when Henrik showed up, and you don’t seem like a particularly nice guy if you’re letting him wander around caves on his own.”

Licking his lips, he carefully set Henrik down to step toward her. Despite his lean stature and scant inches he had on her, Caroline had to force down the intimidation she was surprised to note. “You’re the Forbes girl.” Alarm vibrated down her spine, especially when his smirk turned into a pleasant smile. “A pity you escaped my sacrifice if you feel so bold as to challenge me directly.”

“Sacrif-” Caroline gasped as fear choked her throat. “Klaus.”

His smile widened when she crushed herself back to the wall. “This cave is all that remains of my original home,” he explained. “I don’t take well to intruders.”

Anger seared her blood, the sudden burst enough to puff her chest and pushing him out of her space. “Aren’t you like a billion years old? Maybe it’s time to sign the deed over to the historical society, this is a free country now.”

Klaus stared at her, his eyes stormy even in a stone face. She was sure he’d lunge for her, just to finish the job her father couldn’t - but Henrik tugged at the back of his shirt, tears streaming down his face. “ _Nik, no!_ ”

Frozen at the sound of his brother’s tears, Klaus seemed to struggle with himself for a long moment. “Go,” he murmured, an edge of warning in his tone. “Tell no one. I’ll be gone before you can rally your little friends, and I still have Stefan in my possession. Surely, you don’t wish him any undue harm.”

“He’s not yours to own!” Her eyes flew wide, taking even herself by surprise with the sudden exclamation. She needed to backtrack, but she couldn’t do it. Elena was still struggling, Damon grew more erratic with every day his brother was gone. Worse, she hated the selfish part of her that wanted her friend back, the one who had any number of wise, comforting words to ease the pain of losing her dad’s good faith. “Sometimes, we have to let people live their lives,” Caroline finally said, the truth of it weighing down her heart.

A flash of something crossed Klaus’s expression, an interest that set Caroline off-kilter. “More than a pretty face, aren’t you, love?”

Biting her lip and counting to five, she forced herself to take a deep breath. “The name is Caroline,” she answered with a too cheery smile, hoping to hide the worst of her nerves. “Henrik, you okay?” She gave a thumbs up, not sure if it’d actually help with the language barrier.

_“Caroline wants to know if you’re well_ ,” Klaus translated as he watched her stubborn reaction.

Henrik frowned in confusion, trying to mimic her gesture. When he managed it, they both smiled. “ _Caroline_ ,” he said with a nod. “ _I’m well. I found my brother._ ”

Though she didn’t understand his words, Caroline could tell he wasn’t worried about the big, bad wolf at all. “Okay,” she said with a nod of her own. Sparing only a quick glance for Klaus, then, she flashed away. She stopped at the edge of the woods, listening for any sign they had followed her - not quite relieved when they left her alone.

_What the hell had just happened?_


End file.
